Fabricated flush door



April 7 1953 c. B. HUIZENGA 2,633,946

FABRIGATED FLUSH DooR Filed nec. 29, 1949 Patented Apr. 7, 1953 rABRICA'rED FLUSH `Doon Charles B. Huizenga, Niles, Mich., assignor to The Kawneer Company, Niles, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 29, 1949, Serial No. 135,716

This invention relates to the form and method of assembling fabricated panel units for use in building construction, more particularly units'in the form of panel doors. Panel units, particularly doors, as they are presently made require the employment of fairly skilled artisans to cut and assemble the several parts which enter into the construction of the unit. The materials, especially the panels, have to confo-rm to specific measurements within very close tolerances. The assembly of the several parts has to be made by yor under the close supervision of persons with considerable experience. Moreover, it requires a considerable expenditure of time to insure the proper tting of the frame around the panel and the securing of the parts together by whatever means is provided for that purpose.

The main objects of this invention, therefore,

` are to provide an improved form of and method of assembling the several parts for a panel unit suitable for use in building construction; to provide an improved form of and method of fabricating a panel unit particularly suitable for use as a closure fora building opening such as a doorway, hatch, or window; to provide an improved construction of mem-bers for forming a `frame around the panels; to provide an improved means for seating and sealing the frame members on the panel; to provide a panel unit of this kind which may be constructed from a wide range of materials and which may have applied thereto almost any kindv of a finish; and to provide an improved panel unit of this kind which may be assembled by workmen possessing no highly C developed skills or requiring experienced supervision, which will permanently retain its alignment without the use of special struts or braces, and wherein the fastening means are visible only at the edges of the unit.

In the particular embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a panel unitv constructed in accordance with this invention C and suitable for use particularly as a door; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, crosssectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The herein shown form of panel unit for use as a door, constructed in accordance with this invention, comprises opposed pairs of members 3 and 4, and 5 and B, on each of which member is a pair of relatively shiftable wedge elements I and 8 supported Aon and actuated by screws 9 for clamping the members to and around the perimeters of panels -III and I I.

`2 Claims. (Cl. 189-53) The pairs of members 3 and 4andY 5 channel shaped metal bars with the inner faces of the flanges I2 and I3 serrated, as shown at I4, and with the inner edges of the flanges bevelled, as shown at I5. The ends of the mem? bers are mitered,as indicated at I6, so that when assembled around the panels I0 and Il, Ithe members 3, 4, 5 and 6 form a rectangular frame,V

Vas indicated at I9 and enlarged at Vtheir outer ends', as shown at 20. 'The opposed faces of these enlarged end portions are inclined, as indicated at 2|, converging outwardly toward the base ofY the respective frame members 3, 4, Sand 6. The base of the wedge element 1 extends beyond the flanges I'I and I8 so as Vto provide rims 22 along the lateral edges of the element.

The wedge element 'I is held in nested relaitionship with there'spective frame member with the serrated faces I9 of the flanges Il and I8 opposed to and spaced fromthe serrated faces I4 of the anges I2 and I3 of the respective frame members 3, 4, 5 and B.

The wedge element or block 8 has its oppositel faces convergingly inclined, as shown at 23, so

as to interflt with the inclined faces 2| on'the wedge element flanges I'I and IS. The wedge block 8 has the machine screw 9 threadedthere` in so that tightening the screw 9 serves to draw the Wedge block 8 toward the -base of the wedge element 1. This serves to spring the flanges vI1 and I8 outwardly sufciently to clamp the perimetrical portions of the panels IIJ and I I between the serrated faces I4 and I9.

The screw 9, of which there would be several arranged along each of the members 3, 4, 5 and 6, are a standard type of machine screw with a frusto-conical head 24, which is seated in the counter-sunk holes in the bases of the members 3, 4, 5 and 6, so that the slotted head of the screw is flush with the face of the base of the respective members 3, 4, 5 or 6.

The panels I0 and II may be of any suitable material. Their perimetrical portions extend into the spaces between the serrated faces of the and 6 areY elementsV opposed flanges I2 and II and I3 and I8, respectively, with the edges of the panels abutting or slightly spaced from the rims 22 on the several wedge elements 'I.

All of these parts can be made of stock material, can be conveniently produced on a mass basis, and stocked for later use. None ofthe parts have to be cut to precise'mea'surements by specially skilled workmen.

The unit is fabricated by first assembling the wedge elements 'I and 8 on the screws 9 for the respective members 3, 4, 5 and 6. These.men-1'` bers are then placed around the .sides of thetwo panels I and II, with the 'perimetricalportion's of the panels set in the spaces between the opposed serrated iianges I2 and I1 and I3 and I8 respectively. Ordinarily, one top edge and' one side edge of each of the panels is placed lin abutting relation with the rims 22, so that the opposite edges lies in spaced relationship with the rims. It is thus unnecessary to maintain vexact dimensional tolerances in cutting the panels, since dimensional variations in the panels are not' reected 'in theinished size of the door.

After the parts are assembled, the screws 9 are tightened to press the wedge element flanges IT and I8 Aoutwardly to clamp* the lframe members 3, 4, v and -6 to the panelsV I0 'and I-I. Before 'iinal 'set 'of the' screws 9, the frame 'mem'- bers can be tappedto shift them a bit if needed to insure the proper abutting of the miter 'ends I9; IThei-lnal set of the screws 9 secures the several parts in rmcontact with each other, and provides aV rigid unit that will retain its form without the necessity of any interval struts or braces.

IfV desired, the frame members may be welded at the miter joints to further insure the rigidity of 'the-unit.

Variations and modifications in the'details of the structure and varrangement of the parts may be vresorted to within the'spirit and coverage of the appended claims.

'Iclaimt 1. .A panel unit comprising, opposed pairs of channel shaped Vmembers adapted to be assembled to form an open'rectangular frame, a'chan'- nel'.y shaped core element nestedY1 iirithinY each of said'Y frameY members 'with 'the flanges or said core 'elements 'and members substantially' parale lel, converging facesA formed on the iziute'rv end portions of said element a'n'g'es the base part of each of said core elements being extended' be'- yond. the respective ii'ange's to form laterally disposed rims, panels set with` their perimeters interposed.- between said core element. flanges and said member flanges and with lthe edges of' said panels abutting said rims, wedge elements interposed between and in contact with the ends of said core element flanges, and machine screws set in the basis of said members and threaded in said wedge elements so ias to draw said wedge elements against said members to force said core element vflanges to clamp the perimeter of said panels vbetween said core element flanges and said member iianges.

v2. A panel unit comprising, opposed pairs of channel shaped members with their ends mitered and 'adapted to be assembled to form an open lrectangular frame, 'achannel shaped core element nested Within each of said frame members with the -a'nges of said core elements and members substantially parallel, converging faces formed'pn the outer end portions of said element flanges,l the base part of each of said core elements being extended beyond the respective anges to .form laterally disposed rims, v'panels set with their perimeters interposed between said core element flanges andsaid-member anges and with the edges of said panels abutting saidrims, wedge elements interposed between and in contact with the ends of said core element flanges, and machine screws set in. the bases of said members and threaded insaid wedge elements so as to diaw said wedge elements against said members to force saidV core element anges to clamp the perimeter of'said panels between said coreelement flanges and said member flanges andu holdthe miteredends of said frame members in abutting contact.

CHARLES B. HUIZENGA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references 'are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

